Checking your hardware compatibility, backing up your data, and having updated drivers on-hand; these are all examples of mandatory steps you must take before upgrading. Some things are less likely to go wrong than others, but why take the risk?

If you think we’ve missed any vital tips from the list below, please jump into the comments section following the article to let everyone know.

You can always just do a manual check, too. If you’re not sure what your current hardware is, do a system search for device manager and select the relevant result. This will bring up a list of hardware categories, which you can expand to find out what’s inside your system. If you’re unsure about the compatibility of something, do a Google search to check the official manufacturer website or to find other user’s reports.

Backup Files and Image Drive

If there’s one thing you take away from this guide, make it this: backup your data. Too many people are aware of the dangers of data loss and don’t do anything about it. Don’t let yourself lose personal photos, emails, and documents, simply because you couldn’t be bothered to set up a solid backup plan. Do it now. Data storage is a precarious thing and upgrading your operating system is a major system change. Mixing those two factors together can sometimes be a recipe for disaster.

First, you should image your drive to an external device by using software like Macrium Reflect Free. To image a drive is to create an exact replica of it at that moment in time. Everything that is on that drive will be copied – operating system, personal data, the lot. What it means is that you can take that drive image and use it to rollback your entire system should something major go wrong when upgrading to Windows 10.

If the operating system upgrade goes to plan, but for some reason it wipes your personal data or apps, you can use your backups for restoration. Also, once you’re all up and running with Windows 10, set your backup software to run on a schedule. That way you’re always protected against any potential future data loss.

Remember: A drive image will take a while to complete because it’s a verbatim copy of your drive. You don’t need to create these all the time, but they’re good for when you want to take your entire drive back to a previous point. For day-to-day safety, use a data backup solution.

Uninstall Firewalls and Antivirus

Programs that are always active, those that scan or monitor your system, can be prone to causing problems when it comes to under the hood changes. To be on the safe side, it’s best to uninstall any third-party firewall or anti-virus software that you’ve got.

Download Latest Drivers

Credit where it’s due, modern versions of Windows are pretty great at keeping your drivers up-to-date automatically. And even if you don’t have the latest drivers installed, or even have them at all, chances are that you’ll still be able to use your system fine. Nevertheless, it’s best to take every precaution when upgrading your operating system. As such, we recommend that you download all the latest drivers now and store them on an external device.

To do so, navigate to the manufacturer’s websites and grab the files you need. You could probably get away with just grabbing the essentials, including drivers for your graphics or network card, but it’s best to get all you can as a safety net. You don’t need to install them, just keep them handy, for example when Windows hasn’t automatically upgraded the existing drivers.

Note Install Keys

Every legit version of Windows has a unique installation key to prove that you purchased the operating system. Most paid software, like Office, will also have their own keys. Again, this is something that is just good practice.

Ensure that you have a copy of all your keys before progressing with the upgrade. Your Windows key will be automatically detected during the upgrade, but it’s good to have it to hand if something goes wrong or you need to talk to Microsoft support.

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Ben Stern

March 27, 2016 at 2:40 pm

I just discovered a BUG in the upgrade from WIN7 to WIN 10. It has been known since September 2015 , if not earlier. Yet MS has not corrected it and has no warning.

You MUST uninstall MS Security Essentials before upgrading to WIN 10. There are a number of cases (like me) where the upgrade fails to uninstall it and is then unable to activate DEFENDER. At the moment I have neither SE nor Defender. I am glad to see that someone in this thread suggested using AVAST instead of Defender. I may install it rather than use the suggested route: restoring WIN7, uninstalling SE, and then reinstalling WIN 10 again.

Finally, someone with a GOOD list of pre-upgrade steps. Too many forget the most important step, doing image copy backups. They trust on the published backout process. Too bad that is only good for 30 days.

And you mention backing up Product Keys. Very good. Many people are losing programs like Office during the upgrade when they have to do a clean Win 10 install to fix problems with the upgrade. One point here is that Office 2013 does not work in any of the Product Key extraction tools. The full product key is no longer stored on the computer, so they have to have it from some other source.

As well as "install keys" people should make sure to secure a copy of the required installation files. BEFORE the upgrade. Again, in my experience, a lot of people with older versions of Office either bought it OEM (no install disk) or have since misplaced the install disk/file. MS does not provide installation files for OEM keys and for "non-supported" versions. So a lot of people are losing their Office installations during the "adventures" they have during a Windows 10 upgrade trial.

Joe started writing about technology when he was far too young and hasn't stopped. He spends most of his time obsessing over computer software and hardware, and loves talking about himself in third person. Ask me about Loom.